Which commission, and by when
Jurisdiction is determined by the value of the goods or services paid for, not the compensation claimed: the District Commission up to ₹50 lakh, the State Commission from ₹50 lakh to ₹2 crore, and the National Commission above ₹2 crore, with appeals running upward.
The limitation period is two years from the date the cause of action arose. Delay can be condoned on sufficient cause, but it is an application you would rather not have to make.
What consumer forums are good at
Certain categories work particularly well in this forum, and we steer clients here in preference to a civil suit wherever the facts fit.
How to make the complaint strong
The elements are simple: you are a consumer, you paid, what was promised was not delivered, and you suffered loss. What lets complaints down is documentation: a bare narrative with no invoice, no written communication and no evidence of loss.
Send a written demand first. It costs nothing, resolves a meaningful share of disputes, and where it does not, the unanswered notice becomes the strongest exhibit in the complaint.